DNA proves guilt

Richmond, Va.

A new round of DNA tests confirmed this week that Roger Keith Coleman, who was executed in 1992, was indeed guilty of raping and murdering his sister-in-law. Coleman’s supporters, including Pope John Paul II, believed the evidence was too weak to justify taking Coleman’s life. “An innocent man is going to be murdered tonight,” Coleman said after being strapped into the electric chair. More than 120 people have been freed from death row based on post-conviction DNA tests. But Coleman’s case was the first in which testing took place after an execution. “Stop the presses,” said Michael Paranzino of the pro–death penalty group Throw Away the Key. “It turns out that rapists and killers are also liars.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up